-Standard paid vacation is three weeks, you accrue more as you earn time with the company-Monthly pizza and bagel parties on the house-Competitive salary with other peers (Reuters, Bloomberg)-Recently acquired by Intercontinental Exchange potentially creating growth opportunities in larger company-Intelligent, friendly co-workers, generally low-stress environment. Work/life balance favors life

Cons

-Potential for layoffs as ICE makes reorgs based on the acquisition-Up until very recently, limited upward mobility. New ICE ownership may allow improvement here

Advice to Management

Provide training opportunities for employees and communicate these opportunities to them. Annual meetings should include "5 year plan" discussions for advancement.

Before I jump into the pros and cons, I want to add that my experience at Interactive Data--now ICE Data Services--may not be indicative of the typical experience because I had a great manager, probably the best manager at the company! Now for the pros:

Exposure to lots of market data and a chance to know the fixed income market

Good work life balance--many evaluators leave at 5pm on the dot

Casual dress code

People are very nice and easy going, overall.

Cons

Very limited in terms of professional development and upward mobility. Although there are salary bumps, and perhaps title bumps as well, in reality many people there have doing the same exact job for 20+ years. It's like glorified assembly line work.

Limited direction from senior management. The lower level employees were out of the loop and had no clear insight into what was going on in the upper levels of the company. Most employees were expected to just keep their head down and continue working.

Layoffs. I got there when the company officially became ICE Data Services, and during my first month, there was a big round of layoffs. This continued to happen throughout 2017. I know it's a part of business, but it was still jarring to see people, with whom you were worked closely, and who had been with company for more than a decade, be casually dismissed in the name of cost cutting.

The pay wasn't that great

Advice to Management

Be more transparent with your employees.

Encourage innovation and thinking outside the box amongst ALL your employees. It's not just about meeting targets and checking off the same boxes every day

ICE took away 9 days PTO, and benefits is not as good as before, they don't pay targetted bonus even company is making profit.

Advice to Management

Tried to apply to different roles in the company, everytime I was told I don't have the relevant experience, no room for employee to grow and learn. Very disappointing since the new management took over. Unlike old IDC, they welcome people to apply for different jobs. Changed my roles 3 times under IDC management.

You work with great people. Had the best manager I could ask for. Environment is a good mix of relaxed but professional. This company services every major financial institution in the world. Also not expected to stay late.

Cons

The company is stingy. I ultimately left because I was being paid significantly less than market rate. Intercontinental Exchange's benefits were not nearly as good Interactive Data's.

I worked for the eSignal division of Interactive Data in Hayward, CA. Years ago, when the company was public, it was a good place to work with new products being developed and plans to expand, but once they were bought by an investment group, then sold to the ICE exchange, they no longer fit into the long term plans of the parent company and staff has been reduced severely.

Cons

Now, they are just keeping the employees around until the division is no longer profitable. No plans to grow the division or develop any new products. They already laid off one department.

Advice to Management

Not much you can do while the parent company shows no interest in growing the business. The only solution I can think of is to find some way to become an independent company, but I don't know who would finance that.